In this year's election, Macron’s party is defined by more leftist economic views and its commitment to the European Union. In addition to this, social tolerance is a major theme brought to the forefront of the En Marche party. These ideas appeal to moderates as well as more left-leaning voters.

Le Pen’s party, The National Front, was founded by her father in the 1970s and has a focus on “France for the French." Sound familiar? Its stance is a protection of French identity and values. Le Pen attributes recent violence and social chaos in France to immigrants, allowing the immense anti-immigrant backlash in France to work in her favor.

Macron has a lot of support from the mainstream French candidates. Macron seems to have a good chance of winning the next round, as he pulls ahead of Le Pen by 26 points. To compare, Clinton was ahead of Trump by two to three points. Hence it seems he is more likely to win.

The French election is not only a big deal for France but a big deal for the world. France’s place in the European Union at stake, and so is the European Union as we know it. Le Pen wants France to withdraw from the EU, and since France is a key player in the EU, this would send the EU into even more of a strange limbo. With Brexit and potentially losing France, European politics are driving further and further into instability.

For college students specifically, France is a popular place to study abroad. The results of this election could heavily affect the policies allowing for students to stay and study abroad. Some students might be robbed of opportunities to study in France depending on religion, race, immigration status, etc. A win for Le Pen could also mean that if students are able to study abroad, they may be faced with discrimination due to rising tensions in the country.

This election seems all too familiar — an uncomfortably close rerun of the recent U.S. election. The parallels are all too clear, so we can only hope that France makes the right decision.

Ashmita is a freshman at University of Toronto, majoring in equity studies and women and gender studies. She enjoys self-deprecating humour, musical theatre, singing, and dogs. She is an exceptionally average beatboxer and an exceptionally talented tea-drinker. Her twitter is @ashmitaroy_

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